The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-11-11
HORSESHOE BRAGG.
What Happened After He Left
Deadwood Camp.

~N~NAAS " VIZ IAN GEJbs Is LOU
The air was hazy and fall-lke, and the
sun was ready to sink behind the
mountains to the west The crowds of
men-aH armed-around the saloon
doors might almost have heard the
breeze sigh through the great dark
tops of the pines on the mountains to
the north, south, east, west. Horseshoe
Bragg had been ordered to leave the
camp.
And a further fact was that Horse
shoe Bragg was going to do it. He
had shaken hands with the foreman of
the hastily-formed jury, thanked him
for the extreme Hghtness Of the YER
dict, and assured him that he knew
when to mosey." That worthy indi-
vidual had congratulated him on his
insight into the necessities of the case
and returned him his revolver. And
so he crossed Whitewood creek, and
heard it murmuring as if complaining
that the gulch was not wide enough for
itself and the main street of Deadwood
and calling attention to its priority of
claim, and then he turned down the
dusty trail just as the sun sank behind
the mountains over by the Golden
Gate and the rich but undiscovered
mines to the west.
Horseshoe Bragg. 1t is not at all
probable that little wee baby, with
his great, round, staring brown eyes,
was ever christened Horseshoe, so
there is not much chance that that was
his right name. As for Bragg
might be his name and it might not;
nobody in the Hills knew. But Mr..
Bragg was leaving Deadwood and tax
ing his peculiarly-constructe name
with him, and it was agreed by all the
leading citizens that his going was
great thing for the moral atmosphere
of the city-an atmosphere in the
minds of these leading citizens remark
able for its extreme purity.
For Deadwood had of late been en-
joying moral upheava1 and renova-
ton. MURDERS had become too fire.
quent-our friend, Horseshoe Bragg,
had shot q man early that morning;
that was the reason he was going.
Only q month before Wild Bin. that
prince of Western characters. and n
better man than Buffalo Bill ever was.
had been asaassinated-killed in cold
blood-and his murderer had escaped
by pleading 90 another hastily-formed
jury that Bin had killed his brother in
Texas-which had since been dis
proved. This was the same story
Bragg had told-some thought it was
the truth, others didn't There had
been other shooting affairs. Bragg
had come to the Hills few months |
before along with the hundreds of
oths9 desperate characters who tiocked |
TO the new Eldorado that memorable
first summer, and it was said that this |
was not the first man that he had |
killed. The feeling Of the Jury was
that it would be wen enough for him 10 |
got is probable that be would have
been hung, despite his plea, had the !
murdered man been better known and |
had any friends except the few he had |
made during the week or so he had
been in the camp. So when Horseshoe !
turned down the dusty trail he under
stood that he had Just two hours in |
which to leave the too highly moral at
mosphere of Deadwood behind.
It was really much more time than |
he needed. Il could almost reach an
other camp and get myself ordered to |
leave again in that time, y he remarked !
pleasantly to himself. Perhaps Mr.. |
Horseshoe Baagg had left Western min |
ing camps on shorter notice So he /
loitered leisurely along and frequently /
stopped to pick up specimen" and |
make mental estimates on the probable |
direction and depth of the lead; but |
the end of the two hours found him |
well mp another gulch and away from /
the dusty trail.
That night he slept on pine boughs, |
warmed by a roaring fire of more pine |
boughs, and lulled into slumber by the |
steady, mournful signing Of the night /
wind through still other pine boughs /
far above his head. The loss of his /
supper was not much felt; the failure /
of breakfast to make its appearance I
was more noticeable, but he rose early !
and went On.
At three o'clock that afternoon-the +
absence of dinner had been very /
marked-he was surprised by coming 1
suddenly upon n little rude. tumble /
down log house, with an old horse 1
standing near. After some cautious 4
observations Ire walked up to the door
and entered.
An old man was lying on some
blankets in one corner. There were a
frying-pan. one or two tin cans, an old
tarpaulin. rusty gun, and a few other
miscellaneous things, all of which Mr.
Bragg mentally classed under the con-
prehensiye head Of truck. scattered